Sunday, September 28, 2014

The Ultimate Pay it Back - continuing the Twitterific Tale

It is not very often I write of personal tales in the BRS blog, but this story deserves to be shared!

Its a story of Pay It Back.......

We just had a perfectly fulfilling week, giving back and more to those who literally rescued our doomed wedding and honeymoon 3 years ago! 

Those of you who missed the first installment of the Twitterific Tale, here is a very quick snapshot.........

In May, 2011 Matt and I were due to get married in a modest way but with a touch of luxury in the gorgeous Whitsundays. We chose the Whitsundays to support the local tourism comeback after cyclone Yasi all but destroyed the local tourism businesses in February 2011. The excitement was building with a week to go until our 7 days in China running the Great Wall of China Marathon, followed by a 4 day bareboat yacht charter, 3 nights honeymooning on beautiful Hamilton Island, a small ceremony,  stunning reception overlooking Hamilton Island, and plenty of fun and memories to be had....... 

But then came the news......we received a phone call from the company director we booked and paid for our entire Whitsunday adventure, they had gone into voluntary administration...my heart sank. Over $15,000 lost, not to be paid out, not to be honoured, not to be transferred, and not to be covered by travel insurance. OMG what to do??

Coming from two people who took 10 years to finally decide this was the right moment to get married, the universe was clearly telling us otherwise. 

Completely devastated, I spoke to a great friend Jennifer Frahm who just happened to be a social media activist, with just ONE single tweet our world totally changed. 

To cut a lonnnng story short, her tweet and Facebook posts were immediately picked up by our heros, Whitsundays Online, active tweeters of Whitsunday information and news, but also very proud members and supporters of the Airlie Beach Business Community. 

What happened next was truly incredible, amazing, and without the power of social media, would have been impossible. 

Airlie Beach businesses were literally scrambling to help us, offering free celebrants, accommodation, dining, tourism adventures and the list went on and on and on!!!

Because of the passion of Whitsundays Online and the AMAZING generosity and spirit of the Airlie Beach community, we had the most beautiful, romantic, and utterly perfect wedding experience ever!  

 

We always promised them and made the promise to ourselves we would go back and Pay It Back to thank the whole community who so kindly helped us out!

We did just THAT and MORE!!

Last week we took 32 of our BRS runners, supporters and children to Airlie Beach, so not just did Matt and I go back to say hi and thanks......32 others joined us on the adventure!!

For the Airlie Beach community we are PROUD TO PAY IT BACK by......

  • having 22 Runners participating and promoting the fantastic event Run the Whitsunday Great walk 28km trail run! Not only did they run it, they trained hard and spread the words with friends and fellow runners for the 9 month lead up, and with our fabulous On Tour uniforms, they will continue to promote it for years to come!!
  • Due to our numbers, we hired a private charter bus from Whitsunday Transit for our airport transfers, they were helpful and everything went soooo smoothly!
  • We all but booked out all of Airlie Apartments, who were so kind to us, an amazing venue and hospitality, thanks Cathy and your fabulous staff!
  • We sampled SEVERAL of the eating and drinking establishments Airlie Beach has to offer...to mention a few: Sorrento - amazingly got 30 delicious meals out in 20mins, Jane's cafe for yummy healthy lunches, Capers for catering for 20 sweaty runners for breaky, the Chocolate Cafe Airlie Beach for many a good coffee, the Gelato bar for post race refueling, Barcelona Tapas Bar for gorgeous sunsets, Shipwrecked for chilled out cocktails, Dominos for catering for our birthday party, the MANY pubs and clubs for the good times and dancefloors, not to mention all the little takeaway places who catered for our every need!!
  • We made use of bike hire, jet ski tours, island ferries, and stand up paddle boarding!
  • Sore muscles were eased by the local massage businesses,
  • AND of course many of our female runners contributed significantly to the economy through some retail therapy!














Thank-you again Airlie Beach for being so welcoming, accommodating and such a fabulous place to holiday!!


We hope to see you all again very soon

Renae & Matt 

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

BRS 5th Birthday Party & BRS Break


BRS Turns 5!
Come and say happy birthday, catch up with old friends and maybe meet some new ones!

It is time to celebrate our 5th birthday, a salute to our runners past and present for contributing to our squad.
It is also a time to celebrate the achievements of the past year and to hear all about the 2014 On Tour beach adventures!


Date: Saturday October 4, 2014 
Theme/Dress: Beachy cocktail!
Time: 5pm: Pre-dinner drinks & presentations @ the grassy knoll
6pm to late: A BBQ Feast dinner @ The Southbank Surfclub
(our meeting point for Sat runs)
3pm-5pm: Beach & swim time for those keen @ Streets Beach

Cost: $30 per person (includes pre-dinner beach punch + BBQ Feast dinner) 

RSVP: By Sunday 28th September to info@brisbanerunsquad.com.au

Friends, kids, and family always welcome!


Here is the map of the locations:

BRS On Tour this Saturday 20 - next Friday 21

This Saturday 20th September.....32 BRS Runners and supporters will leave Brisbane destined for great things in the Whitsundays!

On Sunday we participate in the Run the Great Whitsunday's 28km Trail Walk (usually walked in 3 days!), our runners have 6 hours to complete it!  It is mentioned as a 'demanding course' but if you have been attending our sessions and following our preparation program - with plenty of hills, distance, and trail experience, you will know that they are prepared and raring to go!

Here is the event website for those interested: http://www.whitsundayrun.com/ 
I will keep you updated during the week on the BRS On Tour run and festivities! 

Good luck to those completing in the Twilight Festival this weekend. 

Reminder: BRS break!

Due to all coaches being involved in BRS On Tour and our usual On Tour closure policy, there will be no BRS sessions from Saturday 20th September to Saturday 27th September (inclusive). Our first session back will be Monday 29th September.

For those wishing to undertake casual runs as a group - please note, these will not be conducted as BRS related sessions, please simply turn up to the Ship Inn on Monday and Wednesday nights from 6-7pm and go for a run together!


have a great week, happy running

Renae & Matt

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Saturday Session, BRS On Tour, Save the Dates!

Saturday Session

For our final session before the Whitsunday's BRS On Tour and an opportunity for a long run for everybody, we will be doing the following Saturday Session:

When: Saturday 13th September

Time: 6am - 7:30/7:45am

Where:  Southbank - Meet at Streets Beach near Southbank Surf Club Restaurant

Parking: Park in the Southbank underground carpark for $2 in after 5am and out by 9am. Park in the middle near the pay station and the exit will bring you out near Max Brenners and our meeting point.
What: approx. 15km.
Start-off with a 50-55min run followed by Southbank 5km Parkrun to help you push yourself for that last 5km and get some pace in the legs!!

Remember, Parkrun is free! A timed 5km event - details here: www.parkrun.com.au

Not keen to finish on Parkrun (although I guarantee it will get you through the last 5km), simply do an 1.5hr run or whatever you are up for!

Cost: $2 for refreshments

Breaky and coffee afterwards.

BRS On Tour - Whitsundays Here we come!

On Saturday 20th September.....only 8 sleeps time, 32 BRS Runners and supporters will leave Brisbane destined for great things in the Whitsundays!

On Sunday our runners take part in the Run the Great Whitsunday's 28km Trail Walk (usually walked in 3 days!), our runners have 6 hours to complete it!  It is mentioned as a 'demanding course' but if you have been attending our sessions and following our preparation program - with plenty of hills, distance, and trail experience, you will know that they are prepared and raring to go!

Here is the event website for those interested: http://www.whitsundayrun.com/ 

I can't wait to keep you updated on how are BRS on Tour runners are going and the after event celebrations!


BRS on a break!

Due to all coaches being involved in BRS On Tour and our usual On Tour closure policy, there will be no BRS sessions from Saturday 20th September to Saturday 27th September (inclusive). Our first session back will be Monday 29th September.

For those wishing to undertake casual runs as a group - please note, these will not be conducted as BRS related sessions, please simply turn up to the Ship Inn on Monday and Wednesday nights from 6-7pm and go for a run together!


SAVE THE DATES!!

1. BRS Birthday Bash

For those of you that haven't been noting key dates on your BRS Calendar, the BRS Birthday party is fast approaching.....

Saturday 4th afternoon-evening  4th October, 2014. More details to come soon!

2. Brisbane Trail Running Series

Those interested in continuing their Trail running adventures, the Brisbane Trail Running Series is coming up and it is 4 events between now and March next year on trails around brisbane.

All events provide two options a short couse (approx. 7-9km) and a long course (between 11-20km)
For more information:  http://www.brisbanetrailrunningseries.com.au/

Sounds like a great series!

Happy Running
Renae & Matt



Thursday, September 4, 2014

Saturday Session and Happy 5th Birthday BRS!!!!

Saturday Session - the BIG, final NERANG!!

The next next installment of the progressive trail running series at Nerang 20km this weekend is last chance training for our On Tour Runners! But don't let that stop you, of course anyone is welcome!!

There is a 20km or 6km option. 

Start time = 6am for 20km and 7am for 6km. 

See you all there at 5:30am for sign-on and warm up! Don't forget to look out for the BRS TENT!! 

Myself and Michelle will be bringing Muffins for post race sustenance and then we will head out for a celebratory brunch after presentations. 

More location information and entry here: http://www.goldcoasttrailruns.com/NerangSC_RaceInfo.html

Team Challenge: we are tied for 3rd team overall now.  It would be great to have more BRSers participate to increase our rankings. If we win....we get.........BE THERE!!!! 
  • awarded a perpetual shield (to hold for one year) and replica
  • provided with a hi-res image which will be available for download for every member of the winning team. This group photo will be taken at prizegiving at the last race meet on 6 September, and
  • showcased in a 2 page spread in Womens Running magazine in issue 17 at the end of the series.

GO TEAM!!


Due to this being our last On Tour lead up event, both Renae and Matt will be attending. Therefore there is no other organised/coached Saturday session. 

If you are keen to meet up for a long run from Southbank......
Meet at 6am at Streets Beach next to the Surf Club at Southbank for a casual run. [note no coach will be present]


For those of you who missed the Facebook post - 

this week we celebrate 5 years of BRS!!!!!!!


As I said on Facebook - WOW, 5 years ago Matt and I had a dream of growing a community of people that would have a thirst for running, a drive to for a healthy lifestyle & general enthusiasm for life!! WE DID IT!! 5 years on BRS is still here! 

The squad has accomplished so much in such a little time, hopefully changing & improving lives & having lots of fun doing so! 

With only 16 sleeps until our FOURTH BRS On Tour event to the Whitsundays, I can't wait to see what the future holds for BRS and where it will take us!

Keep running, keep coming, and we will be there for you!!

Happy Birthday BRS! 



Happy Running
Renae and Matt